Dr.Biol., Associate Professor O.N. Belousova¹
Dr.Biol., Associate Professor N.V. Mamylina¹
A.A. Semchenko^1
1South Ural State Humanitarian Pedagogical University, Chelyabinsk

Keywords: adaptation, stress, stress tolerance, musculoskeletal system, fitball.

Introduction. During the first year of studies, university students are subject to excessive information and psycho-emotional loads, which, against the backdrop of a sedentary lifestyle, leads to serious disturbances in most body functions. It results in a decrease of the overall body's defenses, and so - increasing risk of various diseases including musculoskeletal disorders.

Being constantly stressed out, female students with an unstable nervous system suffer from fatigue, wild mood swings, distorted self-control, inability to perform long-term mental and physical loads. Stressors of various modality, strength and duration represent the stress continuum, the success of adaptation to which is determined by sensitivity, reliability, efficient performance and reserve capacity of adaptation mechanisms [6-8] in female students. Bodily reactions to stimuli of different nature are oscillatory, wave-like and represent baseline rhythmicity transformed in a certain way. Strenuous learning can upset body biorhythms, transform them into non-periodic oscillations, indicating sharp intensification of the adaptation process internal contradictions.

In addition, prolonged sitting in an incorrect position develops the habit of improper fixation of the body and spinal curvature disorders (postural disorders), some of which are reversible and can be corrected during specialized, often non-drug, rehabilitation activities. Spinal cord disorders are a manifestation of the functional blocks in the spinal motion segments, causing peripheral nerves and internal organs malfunction [4].

Objective of the study was to substantiate the need for additional corrective physical practices in the academic life of first-year female students to correct the reversible musculoskeletal disorders and step up the body adaptability to emotional stressors of different causes.

Methods and structure of the study. The sample comprised 45 females aged 18-19 years, first-year students of the Faculty of Primary School Teachers of South Ural State Humanitarian Pedagogical University. The subjects were divided into two groups: Reference Group - 23 female students attending Physical Education classes conducted twice a week in accordance with the curriculum; Experimental Group - 22 female athletes, who, in addition to the compulsory Physical Education classes conducted twice a week, were engaged in swimming pool practices and fitball exercises twice a week.

All students were examined at the Sports Science Research Center at the Institute of Sport, Tourism and Services of SUSHPU. We evaluated the spatial alignment of the vertebral column, shoulder and pelvic girdles using 3D Scanner (registered by Reg. Certificate #FS022a2006/3226-06 dated 29.05.2006). The study was conducted in stages based on a number of bone markers in three functional positions (upright, prone and face-down positions). The findings were subject to a comparative analysis, from which the conclusions were drawn. Stress tolerance was analyzed using the software complex UPDC-MK v.5.3.1221 produced by CJSC Neurocom, which presents a set of verified psycho-physiological measurement techniques.

The mathematical-statistical data processing was made using the Statistica 10.0 software. The Student’s reliability criterion (t) and the probability index (p) were used to evaluate the significance of differences, р(t)³(t₁).

During the fitball practices, the optimal body condition is maintained at a certain level, physical fitness improves, the manifestation of substantial achievements determines the mode of training sessions. The benefits of fitball practices are as follows: they are accessible for female students with health issues; have a positive impact on all functional systems of the body; purposefully develop physical qualities; carriage exercises and correct reversible postural disorders; develop stress tolerance [5].

Results and discussion. According to the three-dimensional spinal scanning, all first-year female students under the study had spinal curvature disorders of varying degrees.

Table 1 presents the results of the three-dimensional scanning of spine, shoulder and pelvic bones of the first-year female students.

Table 1. Mean group indices of spatial alignment of vertebral column, shoulder and pelvic girdles in first-year female students (X±m)

Study of the linear dimensions of the arc chord of the cervical spine (C₁-C₇) in the frontal plane, revealed insignificant differences between the Experimental Group subjects. The arc chord of the thoracic spine (C₇-Th₁₂) in the frontal plane was 12.54±0.18 mm longer in 15% of the subjects as opposed to the rest of the females (p<0.05). 10% of the first-year students had different length values of the lumbar spine chord (Th₁₂-L₅).

Spinal scanning in the frontal plane projection did not reveal any significant differences between the cervical and thoracic spine indices (C₁-C₇ and Th₁₂-L₅) in the study sample. However, 21% of the first-year female students demonstrated a significant (p<0.05) increase in the size of the lumbar spine curvature (C₇-Th₁₂).

The angular indices obtained in the XZ plane in the first-year female students of the Experimental Group had the following differences: the angle between the shoulder and pelvic projections was dislocated to the right in 47% of females (by 0.69° at p<0.05); the inclination angle of the thoracic spine and shoulder girdle did not differ significantly from the physiological norm (-0.71°±0.24 and -1.82°±0.45, respectively); the inclination angle of the lumbar spine and pelvis was significantly (p<0.01) higher in 18% and 25% of females, respectively, as compared to the rest of the sample; the inclination angle of the cervical spine and the dislocation angle did not differ significantly.

The analysis of the sagittal plane projection in the first-year female students revealed significant (p<0.05) differences in the linear length values of the arc chord of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar segments (C-YZ, Th-YZ, L-YZ) in 14-21%; in the C1-C7 curvature - in 17%; in the lumbar spine and pelvis inclination angles - in 23-26%. High-degree statistical shifts in 36% of females of the Experimental Group were found in the angular values of the shoulder girdle rotation in the horizontal plane projection XY (p<0.01).

The revealed statistically significant differences in the chord lengths of all spinal segments and in a number of projections testify to different total body dimensions of the Experimental Group subjects. In the frontal plane projection, some females had a scoliotic curve in the thoracic spine. A comparative analysis of the results of the spinal scanning, scanning of the shoulder and pelvic bones in different planes revealed a tonic asymmetry in the first-year female students’ muscles of the neck, trunk and pelvis (m. sternocleidomastoideus, m. transversospinalis, m. splenius, m. obliquus externus abdominis, m. ilicostalis longissimus, m. obliquus internus abdominis). We assume that such muscle architectonics is a result of a forced working posture kept by females during the university training sessions. A number of first-year female students were found to have smooth curvatures in the lumbar and thoracic spine, which transform the amortization function of the spine and provoke the development of hypertension of the paravertebral muscles, their overstrain [4].

The analysis of the indices of the body projection in three planes revealed the reversible statodynamic differences in the spinal segments in the first-year female students. As is known, musculoskeletal disorders lead to disadaptation of the body systems to emotional stressors of different etiologies accompanying the educational process during the first year of university studies. Stress tolerance is treated in the functional aspect as a phenomenon that affects the productivity of the learning activity. On the one hand, stress tolerance is an attribute contributing to successful performance, on the other - it is an indicator of homeostasis in man, which aims to provide a man with a stress-protection system in order to prevent distress [3, 9].

Table 2 presents the results of the comparative analysis of stress tolerance in the female students of the Experimental and Reference Groups.

Table 2. Results of comparative analysis of stress tolerance in first-year students

Stress tolerance in the examined groups was satisfactory, since the T3 series values were higher than those in the T4 series. The reaction time within the T4 series was viewed as a parameter generated from the instruction-influenced increased motivation.

The baseline study failed to reveal any statistically significant differences between the stress tolerance indices, which is, apparently, typical of the psychophysiological characteristics of the female body.

Normal or optimal CNS functionality is provided by the well-developed functional system with a stable response to the activity effects [1]. The stress tolerance evaluation method we used is a kind of a complex visual-motor reaction making it possible to characterize the functional state of the body [2]. During the summer session, stress tolerance rate in the Experimental Group was higher by 21.3% (p<0.01) as compared to the Reference Group, which indicates the impact of an adequate physical load on stress tolerance and can be interpreted as an increasing level of adaptation to emotional stress.

Within the T4 series, the reaction time decreases in both of the groups, which suggests for the conclusion that physical working capacity improves through motivation owing to the optimization of the sensorimotor integration processes.

In the Experimental Group T4 was lower by 12.4% (p<0.01) than in the Reference Group.

While adapting to various activities, a person acts based on the individual-typological features, which develop into the qualities ensuring personal successful performance. It is commonly known, that individual-typological features in man are allelically determined, but the adaption processes driven by the sensorimotor integration mechanisms make it possible to adapt to the physical conditions of professional environment.

Conclusions:

• The revealed muscle architectonics in the female students indicates the need for additional corrective physical practices to correct the reversible musculoskeletal disorders.
• The proposed physical load dosing methods not only prevent musculoskeletal disorders, but also improve the bodily stress tolerance rates.
• Individual fitball exercises contribute to the formation of the motivational component of female students’ activity, as evidenced by the decrease in the level of sensorimotor reaction (T4) in the Experimental Group.

References

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Corresponding author: belousova@cspu.ru

Abstract

Objective of the study was to substantiate the need for additional corrective physical practices in the academic life of first-year female students to correct the reversible musculoskeletal disorders and step up the bodily adaptability to emotional stressors of different etiologies. For these purposes, we applied a variety of instrumental test methods to trace variations in the spine curvature, upper and lower limbs and stress tolerance rates. The study data was indicative of the need for additional corrective physical training practices for spinal curvature correction in female students. The study showed benefits of the combined fitball and health-building swimming practices for the first-year female students as verified by the improved stress tolerance rates and notable growth of motivations for physical practices.